Glassware annealing leer



July 24, 1934. e. LUFKIN GLASSWARE ANNEALING LEER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 1'7, 1930 llllllll II gmani oz Jul 24, 1934. L FKIN 1,967,365

GLASSWARE ANNEALING LEER Filed NOV. 17, 1950 V 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 24, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,967,365 GLASSWARE ANNEALING LEER Garland Lufkin, Toledo, Ohio, assignor to Owens- Illinois Glass Company, a corporation of Ohio The present invention relates to improvements in glassware annealing leers and particularly to that type in which articles of glassware are transported through a continuous leer tunnel including heating and cooling zones.

In present day commercial annealing of articles of glassware, such, for example, as bottles and jars, the articles, while hot, are placed upon an endless conveyer in a leer and carried by said conveyer through a heating zone and later through a cooling zone. stresses in the glass structure are removed in the heating zone at and in proximity to the receiving end of the leer, the ware being thereafter carried through relatively cool zones and therein slowly and uniformly cooled without .again setting up strains in the glass structure. After'the, articles have been cooled to approximately 600 F., the cooling may be greatly accelerated without detrimentally affecting the strength or quality of the ware. Artificial cooling is generally resorted to so that the glassware will be cool enough to permit handling by the selectors and packers when it reaches the delivery end of the leer.

An object of the present invention is the provision of novel and improved means for artificially cooling the cooling zones of glassware annealing leers to thereby accelerate extraction of heat from the glassware being annealed.

Another object is the provision in a leer having a metallic roof, of means for applying a cooling medium to the roof in such a manner that the central portions are more rapidly cooled than the side or marginal portions. In this connection it maybe pointed out that those areas of the leer tunnel in proximity to the vertical side walls are somewhat cooler than the 40 central area with the result that frequently there is a very noticeable lack of uniformity in the quality of the glassware annealed in the side and central areas. By initially applying the cooling medium to the central portions of the metal roof and then causing portions of the applied medium to move in opposite directions transversely of the leer and in contact with the metal roof, it is obvious that such cooling medium will be more effective at the center than in the side areas and as a result will strongly tend to balance temperature conditions transversely of the annealing chamber.

A further object is the provision of cooling means including a series of metallic chambers or boxes each extending transversely of the leer Strains and tunnel and constituting a portion of the leer roof and formed to allow introduction of a cool ing medium in its center.

It is also an object to construct at least a portion of a leer roof of relatively small me- 0 tallic units which are individually removable.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing a glassware c5 annealing leer embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view showing a portion of the cooling means.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken through the cooling zone.

Fig. 4 is a'fragmentary perspective view of one of the cooling boxes or chambers.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating the separable connection between the boxes or chambers.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation showing another form of the invention in which cooling air flows through the header or supplypipe in the general direction of travel of the glassware through the leer. v

In the drawings the leer, in conjunction with which the present invention is illustrated, comprises a horizontally disposed tunnel 10 mounted on wheels 11 and including a heating zone 12 and cooling zone 13, the heating zone being disposed at and in proximity to the receiving end R, while the cooling zone is disposed in proximity to the delivery end D. An endless ware conveyer 14 extends in part through the leer tunnel and is moved continuously by suitable means (not shown). Articles of glassware are placed upon the conveyer at the receiving end R and by means of said conveyer are carried through the heating and cooling zones 12 and 13 respectively, to the delivery end D where selectors remove the ware from the conveyer for packing.

After the articles of glassware in the leer have been heated sufficiently to remove strains and stresses therein and then gradually cooled to approximately 600 F., they enter the cooling zone 13, where, as stated heretofore, the extraction of heat may be and is accelerated by artificial cooling means. t

According to the present invention the cooling means includes a longitudinal 'series of transverse cooling boxes 15 or chambers, supported between the side walls 17 of the leer tunnel upon angle-irons 16. These boxes or chambers are connected together so that they, in addition to constituting a part of the ccoL- leer.

ing means, provide a part of the roof of the A suitable filler or packing material 18 is interposed between the end walls 19 of the boxes or chambers 15 and side walls 17 of the leer tunnel.

Each cooling chamber or box 15 is provided with an inlet port 20 at its center and upwardly opening exhaust ports 21 adjacent its ends. The inlet port 20 opens through the upper side of the box and is connected through a short pipe 22 or nozzle to an air supply pipe 23, the latter extending lengthwise of and above the cooling zone 13 and connected in proximity to the delivery end D of the leer to a motor driven blower 24. A damper 25 in the pipe 22 adjustably regulates the quantity of cooling medium supplied to the cooling box or chamber and may be positioned to completely eliminatethe box from the active cooling system. The exhaust ports 21 are provided with dampers 26 which are adjustable to control the rate of exhaust of the cooling medium. Baffle plates 2'? are arranged in the chamber immediately beneath the inlet ports 20 and constitute a deflector by means of which the inflowing stream of cooling medium is divided and caused to move lengthwise of the chamber toward the exhaust ports 21.

In order that the cooling chambers or boxes may be individually removable to thereby facilitate replacement when necessary, as well as lengthening or; shortening of the cooling zone, the opposed longitudinal marginal portions of the upper wall of each chamber are turned upwardly to form attaching flanges 28, each flange being stiffened by means of a relative heavy bar 29. Adjacent attaching flanges are connected together by bolts 30, or the like. Suitable packing material 31 or filler is placed between the attaching flanges 28 and serves as a sealing medium preventing escape of air through the spaces between the chambers.

In operation the blower 24 forces a cooling medium, such as cold air, through the header or supply pipe 23 and into the short branch pipes 22. The cooling medium enters such of the chambers as are in communication with the supply pipe due to the dampers 25 being open and upon entering the chambers is divided into two streams which flow in opposite directions toward the side walls of the leer tunnel. Thus,

as brought out heretofore, the most effective cooling medium is applied directly to the central portions of the leer and then moves lengthwise through the cooling chambers absorbing heat units as it approaches and finally makes its exit through the exhaust ports 21;

In another form of the invention the blower 24 is arranged substantially midway the length of the leer 10 and causes movement of the cooling medium through the supply pipe 23 in the direction of the travel of the ware being annealed. As in the other form, this supply pipe 23 communicates by way' of branch pipes 22 with a series of cooling chambers or boxes 15.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a glassware annealing leer the combination of a tunnel having heating-and cooling zones, a longitudinal series of transverse chambers forming the roof of the cooling zone, each chamber having a centrally disposed inlet port andoutlet ports near its ends, means for supplying a cooling medium to the chamber, said means comprising a supply pipe extending lengthwise above a portion of the leer turmel, and pipes individual to the chambers providing communication between the supply pipe and the said chambers.

2. In a glassware annealing leer the combination of a tunnel having heating and cooling zones, a longitudinal series of transverse chambers forming the entire roof of the cooling zone, upstanding attaching flanges extending along opposed longitudinal margins of the chambers, a filler interposed between adjacent attaching flanges of chambers, and fasteners separably connecting the flanges and compressing the filler.

3. In a glassware annealing leer the'combination of a tunnel having heating and cooling zones, a metal roof for the cooling zone, and means for applying a cooling medium to the metal roof, said means including a supply pipe extending lengthwise above the cooling zone and branch pipes depending from the supply pipe and arranged to direct the cooling medium to the central portions of the metal roof.

4. In a glassware annealing leer the combination of a tunnel having heating and cooling zones, a metal roof for the cooling zone, means for applying a cooling medium to the metal roof, said means including a supply pipe extending lengthwise above 'the cooling zone and branch pipes depending from the supply pipe and arranged to direct the cooling medium to the central portions of the metal roof, and deflecting means formed on the roof for dividing the applied cooling medium into two streams and causing them to move in opposite directions towards the sides of the leer.

GARLAND LUFKIN. 

